Sunday noon… I land in Madrid… the sun is shining and the sky is blue. The new airport of Barajas is spectacular and I feel very happy. I am staying at the Palace Hotel, where I am the guest of Telva, the leading fashion magazine in Spain. Every year Telva gives a huge party and two awards, one to a national designer,  and one to an International one. Angel Schlesser and I are the lucky recipients this year.

I decide to go out and enjoy the day. On my way to the Prado, one of my favorite museums in the world, my memory takes me back to when I was 17 and living in Madrid. It was a different Spain then, Franco was in power and the country was very held back compared to the rest of Europe. I had enrolled myself in a Spanish course at the Facultad de Filosofia y Lettras but the country was in turmoil and the University was often closed because of strikes.  At the Prado, I see my favorite, Goya’s El Coloso as well as an exhibition on a lesser known Spanish master, Juan Bautista Maino. I salute Velasquez on the way out and decide to go to the contemporary art Museum of Reina Sofia. Unfortunately it is closed and I choose to walk through the botanical garden before hitting the Thyssen Foundation. On the way there, I walk by singers and mimes…one of them, Neptune, all painted in blue catches my attention. I go back to give him some money… he is totally immobile but he thanks me with his eyes. I feel good…only two blocks to the Thyssen. But by the time I get there my wallet has mysteriously disappeared!! You always hear of pickpockets, but you think it will never happen to you…well, guess what? My cash and my credit cards are gone, but fortunately I am OK!

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Summer always goes by so fast…

This August, we spent  a wonderful vacation sailing the Indonesian islands of Bali, Sanbawar, Flores and Komodo. We climbed Volcano Agung, visited the Water Palace of Tirtatanga in Bali, and even danced with frogs! On the way back, I stopped in Singapore to celebrate the opening of the latest DVF shop at the ION Orchard.

Now back to NY, where we are preparing for the Spring show!

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with Maria and Alyse

Washington DC, the magnolia trees are in bloom… my room at the Hay Adams has a view of the White House.

I am in DC for the Vital Voices 2009 Global Leadership Awards at the Eisenhower Theatre at Kennedy Center. Ben Affleck, Sally Field, Candice Bergen, Maria Bello, Dr Ngozi Okonjo, Nicholas Kristof and myself are the presenters. The evening is very emotional…watching the movies telling the stories of honorees: Sadiqa Basir Saleem from Afghanistan, Somaly Mam from Cambodia, Marceline Kongolo-Bice and Chouchou Namegabe Dubuisson from the Congo, and Temituokpe Esisi from Nigeria. Watching their incredible courage, strength and dignity is so humbling and inspiring!!! Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, co founder of Vital Voices receives the Global Trailblazer Award and her speech is very sincere and powerful.  The audience is full of powerful people in Washington and we all feel so proud to be part of such an amazing organization.

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I.M. Pei Museum

To get more inspired on my coming Fall ‘09 show, Nomad, I went for a quick trip to the Persian Gulf.

We flew to Oman, where I found amazing turquoises, corals and ambers bead in the Mutra Souk of Muscat, as well as some fresh frankincense for perfume burning and henna for my hair. We were hosted in the private home of the Al Bin Said family where we had the best meal and were given some Amouage, the wonderful perfume they make.

We had a long walk and picnic in the valley of Wadi Tiwi and hiked in the north province of Musandam. We had a quick visit in Abu Dhabi where Paula Al Askari, the famous beautiful hostess had a dinner for us. Last and not least we visited the amazing Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, Qatar. Designed by I.M. Pei, it is possibly the most beautiful museum I have ever seen, a jewel in itself without talking about the very important permanent collection of Islamic art.

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with Santa at the DVF party

In spite of the economy, it is holiday time and we are rejoicing to the coming of a new President and a new era…

Time for new movies, all rushing into the cinemas so that they can qualify for the Oscars. Don’t miss Slumdog Millionaire, and if you like movies that force you to think go for Doubt or The Reader.

Time for dinners with friends…at La Esquina, The Waverly, or at At Vermilion, a new Indian-Latin restaurant on 46th and Lexington.

Time for parties…at Tom Sachs’ Soho studio organized by Visionaire, the 40th birthday party for Wendy Murdoch on the Gramercy Hotel’s roof, and the DVF holiday party.

And of course, time for presents…for the ones you give and receive. For me that means giving the gift of empowerment to women through the Sponsor-a-woman program of Women for Women International. For $350 a year, you can provide a female survivor of war with the tools and resources she needs to move from victim to active citizen. And the person who receives this gift gets to make a difference in the life of one woman. It is truly an inspiring organization and a gift that brings new meaning to giving back…

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